


Dream SMP one shots | requests

by Illumina



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Tales From The SMP - Fandom, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Aftermath of Possession, Angry Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Angst, BadBoyHalo - Freeform, Clay | Dream & Technoblade Friendship (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream Angst (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Crack, Demonic Possession, Dreamon, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Exile, Exiled TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Exorcisms, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Crack, Hurt Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Illumina - Freeform, Immortal Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), M/M, Minor Alexis | Quackity/Karl Jacobs/Sapnap, One Shot Collection, Possession, Protective Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Protective Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Sad Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Soft Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Soft Corpse Husband (Video Blogging RPF), Time Travel, Time Travelling Karl Jacobs, Villain Karl Jacobs, Why do we have to use the real names of the people c'mon I hate that, rivalstwt, skeppy - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:47:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29175150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Illumina/pseuds/Illumina
Summary: Dream SMP one-shots. You can request stuff here, just don't do it on my other stories.(Requests can only be dropped in chapter one, the introduction chapter, please not in other chapters and stories, thank you.)
Relationships: Antfrost & Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Darryl Noveschosch & Sapnap, Antfrost & Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Cara | CaptainPuffy & Clay | Dream, Clay | Dream & Corpse Husband (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Darryl Noveschosch, Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Luke | Punz, Clay | Dream & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Sam | Awesamdude, Clay | Dream & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Technoblade & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Clay | Dream & Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Clay | Dream & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream/Corpse Husband (Video Blogging RPF), Cornelius (Tales from the SMP)/ Corpse Cattt (Tales from the SMP), Fruitberries & Kye Riddell
Comments: 59
Kudos: 449





	1. Rules and requests

**Author's Note:**

> I will not do every request (probably) since I usually focus on characters that I like which would be Dream, Techno, Ranboo, Philza, Bad, Skeppy and maybe George and Sapnap.

Hello and welcome to the first chapter where you can request stuff. 

Please note that I will only accept requests that are commented here, comments requesting stuff on other chapters and my other stories will be ignored!

Rules:

\- if you want a pairing: only canon ships between the roleplay characters (e.g. Karl/ Quackity/Sapnap, Sally/Wilbur, Corpse/Cornelius...) and people who are dating irl (Antfrost and Velvet) are allowed

-no intercourse. That's it. Be horny somewhere else shoo

-no incest, paedophilia, rape etc. 

\- don't get mad if I don't do yours

-as I said before, only comment requests on this chapter please, I will lose track of them otherwise and it just makes it easier for me. If you requested it anywhere else I won't do it.

I think that's it? Maybe I will add something. I don't know.

Please comment your requests below or send them to me via  
Discord (Illumina #5878),  
Telegram (Illumina777),  
Tumblr (illumina777)  
Twitter (IlluminaIsTaken) or via e-mail (kinglevi299@gmail.com)! 

I know sending it privately is easier for some people than commenting publically. 

That's all! Stay safe and request away <3


	2. Take my hand let's go somewhere we can rest our souls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People want to lock up the homeless man  
> The man with the terrible upload schedule says "no my clout"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning: violence, character death, panic attacks
> 
> Also, I have been obsessing over Tales of the SMP (especially episode one) so I'll probably write a one-shot for that, I say as I procrastinate while people wait for me to update my other stories.

“I am sorry, Dream, but you should have paid me more. “

Dream wanted to laugh until his throat bled and his skin felt numb -or fucking cry, he really couldn’t decide right now- because almost the entire - _his_ entire- damned server stepped through the portal with netherite armour and tools and they certainly were not here to help him.

He could see it in their eyes that burned with fierce hatred and venom, directed at him and only at him as if he was the only person on this server who had ever done something wrong.

They were all flawed here, there were no good people, there were as grey as the stone beneath the earth that Dream had made for all of them. But clearly, most people in his world suffered from a rather intense hero complex.

He took a step back, barely registering Tommy's joy and Tubbo's surprise, his ears were ringing, his mouth felt dry. His trembling fingers clutched his axe so tightly that his knuckles must be turning white -he couldn’t tell though, the fingerless gloves gave nothing away- he was certain that he would have dropped his only weapon if he wouldn’t hold onto it for dear life.

Nausea made him dizzy, the world blurred but he forced it down- he tried to. This couldn’t be happening; this just wasn’t fucking real. It felt like it was straight out of a stupid tale, everyone gathering to kill the antagonist while the protagonist got away unharmed.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be, he had planned it, he-

Punz and the others started approaching him and he wanted to feel betrayed because he had thought that the two of them were friends but Punz's friendship was worth _fucking nothing_ , just throw him some gold, jewels and netherite and it was gone, fluttering away like a butterfly, never to be seen again.

He ignored how it stung, losing friendships shouldn’t bother him anymore, he had practically lost every single friend he had; George, Sapnap, Bad, Ant, Sam- all gone and now standing up against him. Well, not all of them, he couldn’t spy some of his old friends here and he didn’t know if it was better off that way.

“Just surrender, you don’t stand a chance, bitch boy!”, Tommy cheered with newfound confidence, the tears that were previously running down his cheeks suddenly were just gone and replaced with a triumphant grin. A stark contrast to the sobbing, angry child that had faced him a few seconds ago. He had preferred that version of the young blond.

Dream's eyes scanned over the crowd and yes, he didn’t stand a chance. There were too many people here, a fight would be pointless but if he could just make it to the portal, then maybe he could-

He didn’t get to finish his thought because Punz threw himself forward and Dream countered his blow with his own. Every thought swarmed his head but his mind turned them away, gave him others that would help now, Dream's body was on autopilot, switching between fight and flight like there was no tomorrow. And maybe there would be no tomorrow for Dream if they got him, they had no reason to keep him alive, _they would fucking murder him_ -

The thought gave him more strength and the will to fight more desperately, starting to use his legs as well, kicking a person away just to bring his sword down on another. Their faces were blurry but what did it matter who he was fighting against? They all wanted to kill him, there was no difference. There were no friends to protect, no family to keep safe, no one to watch out for, he could hit every single one of these people and would not lose a single friend, he had nothing left to lose.

He wanted to laugh but the weight of the moment weighed heavy on his tongue and he almost suffocated. Dream jumped and twisted, kicked and stabbed, doing his best to block strikes with his shield but the blows just never stopped coming, their stupid respawn point must be nearby because they _just kept coming back_.

Sometimes he managed to stab them before they reached their items, plunging his sword into soft, unprotected flesh and pulling it out soon after to go after the next person. The blond refused to think about what coated his blade, that the gore on his axe came from people he once considered his family, the very people he never wanted to harm and swore to protect. It shouldn’t matter to him if it didn’t matter to them.

His limbs ached from the arrow and stab wounds, from slashes and particles of potions, his strikes got sloppy, his movements slowed down.

He resisted the urge to cry out in anger and terror -because he could not afford to seem weak and slow down, not now, not ever- and instead just continued to press forward and closer to the portal, he just needed to get to the portal, then he could just lose them in the nether and run far, far away-

Dream noticed the sword far too late, only saw it coming closer to his face, then there was a sickening crack, a terrible pain as it hit his nose, breaking through skin and tearing into bone-- but Dream screamed in absolute horror when he felt something slipping away from his face. His mask-

He dropped his shield to bring a hand up to keep the two pieces of ceramic together and on his face. His fingertips grazed something wet and warm, a sharp pain burning where he touched a part of his nose but all he could focus on was the fact that his mask was broken.

The parts had moved, he could barely see anything, though he didn’t know if he should be blaming the ceramic or the panicked tears that were forcing their way into his eyes, the possibility that someone could see his face right here and now weighing him down.

He had hidden his face for so long, never shown it to anyone, no one knew what he looked like. It was the only comfort he had left, there was no way he was willing to give it up, there was no way he would give any of these creatures the satisfaction of being able to say that they had seen The Dream's face.

He swung his axe, barely even managing to find any sort of positive reaction whenever the metal hit something because every movement caused the shards to move as well, his hand doing a poor job at holding his facade together.

He choked on his tears when someone kicked him in the stomach, knocking him off his feet and into the wall. The impact almost made him drop his hand from his face but instead, he dug a few fingers into the wound and pressed the others against the mask.

He tried to get back to his feet but something sharp was slammed into his thigh -he guessed that it was an axe- and a sudden short, punctured pain appeared in his knee -an arrow- and he went down again, holding onto his mask and weapon for dear life. The blond tried to move the pieces so that the holes of the mask that served as eyes were back in their spot so that he could actually see something.

He ignored how he was trembling, he could always blame it on anything else, humiliation, anger, adrenaline- anything but the fear and panic he felt right now while he was clutching two broken pieces of ceramic that were supposed to protect his identity. He ignored the few tears that rolled down his cheeks, able to play it off as sweat, he ignored how his throat closed up and how the world was just white noise and blurry faces, words and voices mixing together in an unpleasant cocktail that was forced down his throat.

He almost choked on a sob, tried to get up again, to just flee like a damn coward if he couldn’t fight, but an axe was slammed into his knee and he crumbled like L'manburg. Dream who once bled gold on warm summer days and was kissed by the stars and sun was now only ruins and broken memories held together with shattered promises that never came true.

“Put your stuff in the hole. “

It rang out loud and clear, he would recognise that voice fucking everywhere, it was Tommy. Dream snarled, bared his teeth, but with a cold blade to his throat, he just forced the shards into place to be able to see something.

Emerald eyes made indirect contact with several others, all eyes on him and Dream forced himself not to stumble and wobble when he slowly rose to his feet. He could not shatter the illusion he had crafted with bloodied, broken hands, could not make himself seem less than untouchable, could not seem vulnerable and mortal when he had danced in their memories with such godly air that it stole the breath from their lungs.

He kicked his shield in and then let go of his axe afterwards -but only because someone pressed the blade deeper into his skin when Tommy got impatient- watching it land on the dark ground below. He emptied his inventory next and then stopped.

Tommy grinned and Dream knew nothing good was going to come after that.

“Your armour too. “

“What?!”, Dream bristled, taking a step forward, wanting to wrap his hands around the little shit's throat, squeeze out his life with his own scarred hands. “Why! I am not- I don’t even have weapons, I-“

The blade pressed into his skin again and Dream growled before kicking off his boots, then struggling to get off his pants and all that was left was his chest piece. He would need help with that, he couldn’t do it with one hand but Dream didn’t want anyone to help him, to take his last bit of security away from him. He used his free hand to reach behind himself, fiddling with the straps for a while before he managed to undo them. He slipped out his free arm first and then lifted that one up to hold his mask in place.

The blond ignored the pain, noticing that he had a rather tight grip on the wound. He didn’t show it, simply digging his fingers in again to hide the fact that his hand was shaking terribly. He freed the other arm and his chest-plate joined his other items. His other hand clenched into a fist.

“There. “, he said and bared his teeth when _fucking Tommy_ put _his_ hands on _his_ armour, armour that _he_ had made with his own bare hands, armour that had taken so many sleepless nights to complete.

“Thank you, suits me rather well. “, Tommy noted with a smug grin and then it widened when he looked at Dream again.

“Dream. “, he started and Dream pressed his fingers deeper into the wound on his face, sending a fresh wave of blood downward. He tasted copper but couldn’t care less.

“What. “, he snapped defensively, shoulders drawn up and first clenched at his side, though it was pointless, he would die before he had the chance to try anything. Unarmoured he stood no chance against almost thirty people in netherite armour. Not to mention the weapons all of them held.

“There is still something on you that needs to go in the hole. “, Tommy continued and made a dramatic pause before he would announce what it was, though Dream was pretty sure that he knew. He involuntarily tightened his grip on his face, his mask, his security, his protection, _his everything_ -

“Your mask. Take it off. “

“No. “, Dream said, words dripping from his lips like snow that was slipping down from a roof; cold and crushing, final.

“That was not a _request_ , big man. “, the kid said and suddenly, the sword was back on his neck and everyone was pointing their weapons at him.

No, surely not. They all knew how important his mask was to him, they never asked him to take it off, they never forced him to- surely not. They wouldn’t do this to him. They couldn’t do this to him- Right? No, no, they- Dream's blood froze in his veins, his heart skipped a few beats. 

“No, no- I cannot- _Sam_ -“, he whispered and his head snapped towards the creeper hybrid. The mask on the other's face gave nothing away, it was the kind of comfort Dream was yearning for right now. His mask was broken, about to fall off his face and ruin fate, ruin it all, give away the one thing Dream didn’t want any of them to see. He choked.

“Sam, please, I need-, ” he turned promptly, gaze sliding over the people and landing on Punz. Maybe, perhaps- if Sam wouldn’t help, someone else would have to- He had known Punz for so long, he knew how to get the other to help.

“Punz, _Punz_ , please, please, I can give you everything you could ever ask for, diamonds, gold, emeralds, netherite- I have- I have it all! Please-“ But there was no interest in the other man's eyes nor on his face and Dream's breaths came out short and rapid, desperate because there just had to be someone, anyone- who understood how important his mask was to him, that he never took it off, that he needed it-

“Sapnap! Ant- guys, _please_ -“, he forced out, searching for any hint of understanding and sympathy in their eyes but bittersweet memories of friendship and laughter were replaced with cold resignation. Tears and blood mixed. They wouldn’t help him. The people who were his friends and family, his everything didn’t do anything. They hated him; they were just watching. They were never his friends. They were never-

Dream's lungs felt tight, the air was too heavy, the room too full, everything was too much and yet not enough for them, it was never fucking enough.

He whirled around, despair rolling off him in thick waves. “No, no, listen, Tommy- just fucking kill me, lock me up, but not this, I am not going to take my mask off, ever, not for you and not for anyone else. “, he hissed, trying to cover up his choked-up voice, give himself some strength, anything to stabilise him as he scanned the crowd again.

His eyes landed on Puffy and hope bloomed in his chest, a little beacon of light- “ _Puffy!_ ”, he sobbed out and she flinched away but it didn’t matter, he needed help, support, a voice of reason, they couldn’t do this to him, not this, anything but this- “Puffy, Puffy, please, tell him-“

“Dream. “ Her voice was like ice and Dream's mouth seemed to close by itself. “Just take off your mask. We can put you in prison after that. “, she said and Dream's resolve shattered like glass, like his mask.

He reeled backwards but was grabbed and dragged towards a person -who, who was it, he couldn’t tell everything was blurry and he could barely get any air into his lungs- and they tried to take his mask.

Dream screeched, loud and high-pitched and started kicking and biting -tasting skin, blood and bone on his golden tongue and under bloodied teeth-, trashing and sobbing because they had no right to- they could not- _anything but his fucking mask-_

“Are we late to the party?”

And suddenly it was all over, the sound of Dream's own sobs all that echoed through the prison.

“Wh- Techno- Technoblade?!”, Tommy exclaimed, tone pitching, hysteria creeping in.

“Philza Minecraft?”, Tubbo added, just as surprised.

“Yep. “, Philza retorted, tone as calm and easy as always and Dream let out another sob, unwillingly dragging some of the attention back to himself.

“What- what are you guys doing here?”, Tommy asked again, stumbling over his own words. Techno scoffed.

“Could ask you the same thing, Tommy. What are you doing right now?”, he asked and the youngest snorted. “Taking down that green bastard, obviously. And we have it all under control. We don’t need your help. “, Tommy declared, waving them off like they were annoying little flies and Philza chuckled. “Yeah!”, Quackity added,” you guys are not off the hook! In fact, you are on our red list!”

“Tommy,” Phil started calmly,” we are not here to help you. “, he announced and Techno hummed in agreement. “We are here to save my clout. “, Techno said and that was all the warning they got before Phil spread his wings and took off, rushing over the ground and the crowd on it and pulling whoever was holding Dream away.

He heard a slash and then _a thing_ he couldn't identify hit the ground with a dull thump. Something warm and wet splattered onto his cheek. All noise faded away as Dream glanced at it, only to have a disembodied head -this had been Jack- starting into his eyes.

The blonde wanted to scream in terror but all that he managed to get out was a strangled wail. Phil hurriedly grabbed him and held his free hand with his own and then they were in the air again. Arrows and shouts followed them, but Phil was quick and dodged them, snatching Techno after the man had successfully murdered Sapnap -and several others but Sapnap was the last victim, his screams echoing in Dream's ears- and then they went into the portal.

Dream only heard an explosion behind him, the yells were gone and replaced with the heat of the nether. Tremors still went through his body like poisonous waves but it all felt dull and unreal as Phil flew past lavafalls and fireballs the ghasts spat out towards another portal. They went through and the heat was blown away by icy winds and tiny, soft snowflakes.

Phil didn’t slow down until they were at Techno's house. He stopped in front of it, letting go of Techno and Dream as he landed in the soft snow. The warm glow the little cottage emitted was so welcoming and soft that Dream didn’t know how to feel. Phil still held his hand and the older man gently tugged at it to bring him inside, Techno following suit. The warmness of the cottage greeted him when he was pulled inside, cosy and soft.

A few dogs were inside, patiently waiting for their owners to return. The dogs, however, were not the only ones who were waiting ever so patiently. Ranboo sat there as well, smiling brightly when Techno and Phil entered, although it dropped when he saw Dream.

Said blond hurriedly dug his nails in deeper, pressing his other fingers against the material of his mask with so much force that his digits trembled.

“Easy there, mate. “, Philza cooed and let go of his free hand to grab the one that held his mask together. Dream snarled and pulled away, bumping into Techno. “Do not-“, he exhaled and paused, eyes landing on Ranboo for a few seconds before he simply let go. What did it matter anymore? He was a dead man walking.

The shards dropped to the ground and he listened to the kid inhale sharply. “I will brew some healing potions. “, Ranboo said and hurriedly turned around to avoid looking at Dream while he wasn’t wearing his mask.

Dream fell apart under the warm glow of the fire and the soft barks of the dogs. “No one said anything. They all just _fucking watched_.”, he muttered and dropped onto one of the chests. Silence filled the room as Dream stared at his shaking hands. The noise of the brewing stand tore through the silence like a knife.

“I am going to make us some stew. “, Phil announced and Techno sat down next to him, hand hovering over the blond's knee for a heartbeat before he sighed and settled for patting Dream's head. “They really fucked you up. Loser. “, he said, though there was no bite in it and Dream leaned against him with a soft sigh.

“Yeah. They did. The entire server was there aside from a few people. “, he whispered. “I don’t think I should stay here for long either, you guys are finally living a somewhat peaceful life and-“

“And you are now a part of it. “ Dream's head jerked up, though he managed to not look Ranboo in the eyes. The kid flinched anyway but continued. “If you want to, of course. And if Techno and Phil are okay with it. Sorry, I just wanted to uh, help and uh, yeah. Just take your potion. “, he says and handed Dream the small glass bottle that the blond downed in a few quick gulps.

“I wouldn’t mind another person here. More people to help with the chores. Or rather, to do them for me. “, Phil called from the kitchen and Techno shrugged. “I could use a good sparring partner. Guess you will be stuck here with-“

“This wonderful family?”, Ranboo prompted hopefully, only to scream when a dog walked into the fireplace and Phil joined right in, looking for a water bucket.

“This fucking mess is what I wanted to say. “, the man next to him said and unclasped his pig skull mask to hand it over to Dream. The blond stared at him and Techno huffed.

“Wear this. We will need a bit to fix yours. “, he said. Dream put the mask on and as his wounds started to heal, a smile formed on his face.

“Would love to be a part of your fucking mess.”, he remarked and Ranboo beamed. “Really?”, he asked and Techno raised an eyebrow. Dream's smile turned into a grin. “Yeah, really. “

“Well, then rest your soul because we will have to start preparing for an army coming our way later. “ Dream's eyes met Techno's and the admin chuckled. “Will we give them hell?”

Techno grinned at him and it reminded him of old times, ruins and battlefields filled with the corpses of their enemies. “I think we all are enough to ruin fate, ruin it all and make them understand not to mess with us. “


	3. He still sings of stars, he still dances with memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being immortal surely sucks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning: violence, murder, death, child death
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not ship real people, this is about Corpse Cattt and Cornelius, not the people who play them. They are dating in canon, Corpse referred to Cornelius as his partner/lover.
> 
> The song is The Moss by Cosmo Sheldrake  
> Literally looked up dark cottagecore songs for this one
> 
> Inspired by the Tales of the SMP and Dream's new song
> 
> Not a request :)

They were supposed to be wed in spring, with the scent of loyalty and flowers in the air as the sun kissed their skin and bound them together with its warmth and their never-ending love and devotion to each other.

They had picked where they wanted to be wed, Cornelius telling Corpse what the spot he found looked like and the other agreeing with tenderness in his tone and love in his heart.

A beautiful lake in the forest near their town, with light that danced across the surface like a magical being, flowers decorating the soul around it and Corpse wished that he would be able to see his beloved on their special day, wished to look into glistening emerald eyes and at the stardusted skin of his soon to be husband.

He had not always been blind, something he was grateful for since not seeing Cornelius' elegant face was ought to be a sin, the man was beautiful. He didn’t need to see the other man every single day to know that he loved him still, he could feel it in the soft touches and brief kisses, in the many words that fell from his usually silent partner, in shared laughter and protectiveness.

But still, the wish remained in the back of his mind, a reminder that he could be able to see him if it weren’t for his little accident with the monsters in the woods. Corpse was a terrible fighter; he should have known that going alone would never end well. And frankly, it could have been worse if Cornelius hadn’t stumbled upon him and saved him.

And they had wanted to adopt Robin, the sweet little child who lived next door who had the stars in their eyes and the sun in their heart, according to Cornelius.

It was meant to be a Birthday surprise since the kid's birthday was in a month, one day after their wedding and it would have been a perfect little family. He would have made sure of it, would have given them his all and more, although Cornelius always assured him that what they had was all he would ever need.

They were supposed to be wed in Spring.

But it never happened.

Times changed and got darker when a new person arrived in their little town. He tasted the distrust in Cornelius' words when he softly described the man's appearance to him; his clothes that had the colours of the flowers they found in fields instead of the dull colours everyone else wore, his brown hair and the mischief in his chocolate eyes and that he usually carried a book around with a title Cornelius had not been able to decipher.

He had merely begged his fiancée to stay away from the stranger, the man who had offered them a game of life and death in exchange for riches. And the greed that lived in the darkest parts of the souls that had easily rested in the bodies of the people in this town had risen to the surface, made them agree, turned them into little pawns.

And Cornelius had taken his hand, kissed it and promised that he would stay safe and that they would wake up together like they did every morning holding each other until the work called and forced them out of their bed.

And Corpse had believed his bittersweet words, listened to his partner's fading footsteps when the other left to pay Robin his nightly visit. A ritual they had started shortly after the boy arrived in their village. The poor kid was all alone, left to live in a house all by themselves and since they were their next-door neighbours, they had decided to be the ones to look after the young one.

Especially because no one else in the village seemed to care about the fact that a child was left alone. Maybe they were broken from the start, long before the man who introduced himself as Karl arrived.

_“Legend has it that the moss grows on_

_The north side of the trees_

_Well, legend has it when the rain comes down_

_All the worms come up to breathe.”_

Corpse breathed out when the sound of his partner's voice echoed through the town, Helga's nonsense replaced by the soft song the man sang for Robin every single night because the kid loved it so much. Admittedly, he loved it too, Cornelius sung it in the kind of way that could make your worries dissolve.

_“Well, legend has it when the sunbeams come_

_All the plants, they eat them with their leaves_

_Well, legend has it that the world spins round_

_On an axis of 23 degrees”_

Night had come suddenly on that fatal day, replacing the sun's warm glow with a few stars and endless darkness. The people were afraid, it was why the village was unusually quiet, trying to catch some of the comforts that were meant for Robin, though he supposed that his partner had left the door or the window open on purpose so they could hear him better. The thought brought a smile to his face. He was such a lucky man.

_“But have you heard the story of the rabbit in the moon?_

_Or the cow that hopped the planets while straddling a spoon_

_Or she, who leapt up mountains, while whistling up a tune_

_And swapped her songs with swallows while riding on a broom_

_Well, we can all learn things, both many and a-few_

_From that old hunched-up woman who lived inside a shoe_

_Or the girl that sang by day and by night she ate tear soup_

_Or the man who drank too much and he got the brewers' droop”_

Corpse silently asked himself if the people would rethink their choices. They were free, they had known each other for such a long time -they were friends- and this man had no right to order them around, ask them to do such horrendous things. Not after all the time, they spent together. They were basically a family, a rather wild and chaotic one but a family nonetheless.

_“Come listen, all ye fair maids, to how the moral goes”_

They didn’t have to listen to the man anyway. He couldn’t force them to do anything. He couldn’t.

_“Nobody knew and nobody knows”_

(But Karl was no ordinary man, he was the past, present and future, the one who wrote the story and when they agreed they had volunteered to become his puppets, his characters for his perfect tale.)

_“How the Pobble was robbed of his twice five toes_

_Or how the Dong came to own a luminous nose_

_Or how the Jumblies went to sea in a sieve that they rowed_

_And came to shore by the Chankly Bore where the Bong-trees grow_

_Where the Jabberwocky's small green tentacles do flow_

_And the Quangle Wangle plays in the rain and the snow_

_But have you heard the story of the rabbit in the moon?_

_Or the cow that hopped the planets while straddling a spoon_

_Or she, who leapt up mountains, while whistling up a tune_

_And swapped her songs with swallows while riding on a broom_

_Well, we can all learn things, both many and a-few From that old hunched-up woman who lived inside a shoe_

_Or the girl that sang by day and by night she ate tear soup_

_Or the man who drank too much and he got the brewers' droop”_

Karl read the note, the name of the man the killers had picked. It was the lad who looked like Dream, though he was so different, so warm and soft and loving towards these people that Karl felt guilt well up in throat. Maybe he could bring this one to the present and bring their Dream here instead. But he couldn’t, he couldn’t mess up his story like that, it had to be perfect, flawless, right in every possible way.

_“Legend has it that the moss grows on_

_The north side of the trees_

_Well, legend has it when the rain comes down_

_All the worms come up to breathe_

_Well, legend has it when the sunbeams come_

_All the plants, they eat them with their leaves_

_Well, legend has it that the world spins round_

_On an axis of 23 degrees_

_But have you heard the story of the rabbit in the moon?_

_Or the cow that hopped the planets while straddling a spoon_

_Or she, who leapt up mountains, while whistling up a tune_

_And swapped her songs with swallows while riding on a broom_

_Well, we can all learn things, both many and a-few_

_From that old hunched-up woman who lived inside a shoe_

_Or the girl that sang by day and by night she ate tear soup_

_Or the man who drank too much and he got the brewers' droop.”_

With that, the song ended. Karl watched Dream smoothly slide out of the now dark house and into the quiet night, axe in hand. The man turned and Karl flinched when they made eye-contact -well, eye to mask contact- and then Dream turned and walked into Corpse's house.

Karl followed suit, axe in his hand and quietly opened the door. The room was dark, the soft breathing that came from the bed seemingly too loud in the deafening silence. Karl could make out only one figure in the bed -he tried not to think about why there was just one bed while two people lived here- but where was-

“If you are after Corpse you will have to go past me. “

The brunet flinched and turned towards the voice, coming face to face with Dream who was leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. The shadows covered him and made it hard to see the man but the moonlight made the mask seemingly glow in the dark.

“I am not here for him. “, Karl announced and Cornelius relaxed. “Oh. “, was all he said. Silence filled the air and the man turned his head towards his sleeping friend. “I see. “, he added tensely, turning his head to look back at Karl who tightened his grip on the weapon in response. Dream was a good fighter so Cornelius -his ancestor- should not be underestimated.

“Can I leave a letter for him?”, the man asked instead and Karl wanted to let him, but he was wasting time, Cornelius could leave a secret message, ruin everything he worked for, ruin his story -his perfect little story- and so he shook his head and for good measure, he added:” No. You cannot. “A pause. “I’m sorry. “

“I see. “, Cornelius repeated before he raised his hand and- took a ring off his finger. He walked over to the nightstand next to the bed, not making any sound. Dream really had been born to live in the shadows if his very own ancestors were able to move this quietly.

The other soon was back at the spot where he stood a few heartbeats ago, no weapon in sight. “Do not make a mess. My fiancé is a sensitive man and Robin visits us in the early mornings to dine with us. There is no need for both of them to face such a sore sight. “, Cornelius said and spread his arms.

Karl refused to let his mind remember his own fiancés right now their reaction when someone would just murder him in cold blood and how he should never put any lovers through that. It had to be done. For the story. “Go ahead, Karl Jacobs, murder me. They all want you to, apparently. “, he whispered and for a brief second, Karl was back in L'manburg, watching Wilbur get killed by his own father as ashes fell from the sky and their beloved city turned into a big crater. He forced the memory down and swung his axe.

He left the house without turning back, bloody blade in hand and made the sun replace the moon, watching the villagers leave their houses, yawning and stretching.

Soon the soft sounds of morning draping itself over the village were replaced by panicked noises and sobs coming from Corpse's house. Robin -the kid- was the first to hurry out of the house and towards his neighbour.

They were greeted with the sight of Corpse sitting in a pool of blood, clinging to the lifeless body of his partner. Robin gasped and hurried over to them, dropping to their knees to grab the man's wrist, look for a pulse, a sign of life because there was just no way that Cornelius was dead, that someone killed their friend, their neighbour, their father figure-

But when they pressed and searched, they found nothing and Robin's hand dropped. Tears rolled down their cheeks as they watched Coprse cradle his lover's dead body, shaking his head and sobbing louder. “No, no, no, please. Not him, anyone but him. We were supposed to be wed in Spring, we had it all planned out. “, he muttered and brought the other to his chest, pleading, crying, praying but it didn’t matter. His lover's body remained limp in his arms.

That day they buried Cornelius where they wanted to get married, by the lake, in the forest, in a field of flowers. Corpse had given his fiancée the engagement ring back, putting it on his finger. He didn’t want anyone else, there was no one to replace his beloved. He had to bury the man alone with Robin, everyone else stayed in the town, starting to debate on who could be one of the killers.

They invited -or rather- ordered them to join when they returned, only to accuse them a few seconds later. And then they voted for them. Corpse just had one thought when he was shoved into the cell when the ground disappeared below his feet and he tried to find something to hold onto; cutting his hands on the sharp stones of the wall on his way down: The kid was safe and he would be with Cornelius again. Then lava tore through his skin and bones, filled his lungs, burning hot until it was gone as suddenly as it came.

After it, everyone seemed to be doing much better aside from Robin who hugged themselves for comfort and sobbed loudly. Karl tried not to focus too much on it, let the sun settle and the moon replace it.

The town went quiet once more.

Until the quiet was broken by a song sung by someone who should be six feet under.

_“Legend has it that the moss grows on_

_The north side of the trees_

_Well, legend has it when the rain comes down_

_All the worms come up to breathe.”_

Karl stared at Dream's mask as the man sat on Robin's house and sung his song. There was a silent challenge, a “Try to stop me” in the empty gaze of the mask.

_“Well, legend has it when the sunbeams come All the plants, they eat them with their leaves Well, legend has it that the world spins round On an axis of 23 degrees”_

And he accepted the challenge, tried to change the story in his book but it didn’t matter what he wrote, Dream remained there, singing and staring. For the first time in a while, Karl was caught in his own strings. Dream disappeared when the song was over and Karl brought back the light of day to keep him in the shadows far away.

Robin looked even worse today, still sobbing, eyes red and puffy, lip constantly trembling. No one else seemed to care, in fact, Helga turned everyone against the poor child and Karl felt remorse well up in his core.

Today was the first time that youth stood in the prison, staring down at the ground, waiting for it to open up and swallow them whole. “At least you can be in heaven with Corpse and Cornelius. “, Karl offered with a smile and the kid hugged themselves tighter with a sniffle.

“Or in hell!”, someone else shouted. The ground opened and Robin plummeted into the lava.

After that, it got worse and to Karl's pleasant surprise the murderers ended up winning. That night he left the town, only to run into Cornelius. His blood seemed to freeze.

“I hope you include tearing my little family apart in your story, Karl Jacobs. “, the man snarled and Karl fled, ignoring the guilt that was choking him because he was doing what was right, he had to be.

Karl had decided to visit the prison that night -for Sam or Dream, he didn't know, maybe he knew before and simply forgot- but an icy chill ran down his spine when he noticed the song that the wind was carrying through the air.

_“Legend has it that the moss grows on_

_The north side of the trees_

_Well, legend has it when the rain comes down_

_All the worms come up to breathe_

_Well, legend has it when he decides to come_

_All the people you love will cease to breathe_

_Well, legend has it that the world spins round_

_On an axis of 23 degrees_

_But have you heard the story of the immortal man who was in love?_

_With the sweet blind mortal man who now is as free as a dove?_

_Or she, who leapt up mountains, while whistling up a tune_

_And swapped her songs with swallows while riding on a broom_

_Well, we can all learn things, both many and a-few_

_From that old hunched-up woman who lived inside a shoe_

_Or the lad that sang by day and by night he ate tear soup_

_Or the man who drank too much and he got the brewers' droop_

_Come listen, all ye fair maids, to how the moral goes_

_Nobody knew and nobody knows_

_How the village once normal had suddenly gone mad_

_Or why the stranger who suddenly came by seemed so bad_

_Or how the Jumblies went to sea in a sieve that they rowed_

_And came to shore by the Chankly Bore where the Bong-trees grow_

_Where the Jabberwocky's small green tentacles do flow_

_And the Quangle Wangle plays in the rain and the snow_

_But have you heard the story of the sweet child with flowers in his hair?_

_Or the mortal and the immortal, a sweet and yet odd pair_

_Or she, who leapt up mountains, while whistling up a tune_

_And swapped her songs with swallows while riding on a broom_

_Well, we can all learn things, both many and a-few_

_From that young, young child who enjoyed my lover's stew_

_From that old immortal man, now trapped inside a cell_

_Or the man who tore his family apart, casted spell after spell_

_Legend has it that the moss grows on_

_The north side of the trees_

_Well, legend has it when the rain comes down_

_All the worms come up to breathe_

_Well, legend has it when the sunbeams come_

_All the plants, they eat them with their leaves_

_Well, legend has it that the world spins round_

_On an axis of 23 degrees_

_But have you heard the story of the rabbit in the moon_

__

_Or the cow that hopped the planets while straddling a spoon_

__

_Or she, who leapt up mountains, while whistling up a tune_

__

_And swapped her songs with swallows while riding on a broom_

__

_Well, we can all learn things, both many and a-few_

__

_From that old hunched-up woman who lived inside a shoe_

__

_Or the girl that sang by day and by night she ate tear soup_

__

_Or the man who drank too much and he got the brewers' droop”_

__


	4. The city of angels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just two dudes vibing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The request was Illumina and Fruitberries hugging and I am so sorry that this is short but I feel awkward writing about Illumina bc that's my username,,, Idk man I have problems
> 
> And I don't really watch these two either so this is why this is a) short & b)terrible.
> 
> Also, it is pure soft stuff and I can't write anything that is just,,,, that.

Fruitberries was carrying so much food with him that they probably wouldn’t have to leave their house for weeks. He had gotten a lot; mushrooms, rabbits, cows, pigs, sheep, fishes, melons, bread, cookies, carrots, cake, apples, beetroot, golden carrots and golden apples -some of them even enchanted, though golden apples weren't meant to serve as casual food supply- and even some kelp. You never know. 

He had been away for several days because of that -you wouldn't be able to find all this food in one place, after all-, only talking to his friend over the communicator -a thing that also showed him that his friend fell out of the tree after he was shot by a Skeleton, something he had mocked the other man for before Illumina could even defend himself – and so he was more than ready to see him again and just enjoy the other’s presence.

Maybe they could try to speedrun again, discover the area around their base, build a few nice things, get some pets. He really wanted some pets. He would have to talk about that with Illumina. But a cat would be nice -to keep away the creepers- and dogs were always helpful when it came to fighting mobs. And maybe they could get some useless ones too.

Who cared if you could use them to fight some creatures of the night? They weren't some villagers, they knew how to fight, how to build traps and were more than capable of protecting themselves. Protecting a few more, smaller souls wouldn't be bad.

“Fruit!”

His head snapped upwards upon hearing the cheerful shout - recognising the voice immediately- and he only saw white before something soft collided with his green mask.

He blinked several times and raised his hand as the substance slipped down. It dripped onto his hands and-

“Lumi, where the hell did you find snow, man? I thought you were busy building our house-“, he replied, only to get cut off when the other man threw a snowball right into his mouth. The only answer he got was giggling from above as his best friend laughed at his misery.

He spat the snow out and brushed the remains of the first attack off his mask to tilt his head back and send his friend _the_ death glare that everyone feared but Illumina was gone.

Fruit sighed. Yeah, Illumina was more of a runner than a fighter, the guy had always been quick on his feet.

“You can’t just try to _assassinate_ me and then run away!”, he protested, walking towards the nearest tree to climb up. He heard his friend cackling from the other side of the clearing and wow, great, wrong side.

“Oh, I can. Last to arrive at the base is the worst player to exist!”, his friend called and Fruitberries turned just in time to watch Illumina run away, jumping from one tree to the next with ease. Now, this just wasn’t a fair battle with his friend in the trees and him on the ground.

He scrambled to get up, pushing the leaves out of his way and slapping a twig out of his path, only for that thing to come back and hit him in the face. Why thank you, mother nature.

Needless to say, he was the loser of their little chase, arriving at their -now much larger- wooden treehouse. His friend had done a pretty good job, last time he was here there was only enough space for two beds, a crafting table and a furnace.

Illumina was sitting on the fence next to the path that he had built while the masked man was away so that they could easily travel above the ground. He beamed at Fruit and shot to his feet, running towards him -probably mocking him in his head- and then came crashing into him, arms wrapped around his waist and face pressed into his shoulders.

Gravity dragged them down and they hit the wooden path. Well, Fruit did and it knocked the air out of his lungs while Illumina merely used his body to soften his fall. His friend’s eyes twinkled with mischief and joy as he yanked Fruit up and into a sitting position before he pulled the man into a proper hug.

“Welcome home, man. “

Fruit grinned softly and hugged back, wrapping his arms around his friend's shoulders and basking in the sound of Illumina's laughter as the sun started to set, freeing the warm colours of sunset. And as he sat here with sacks of food and his best friend in his arms in front of their house, Fruit just enjoyed the feeling of being back, of being home.

This was home, Illumina, him and their little treehouse. He wouldn't want to have it any other way.


	5. Is this a Nightmare or just a Dream?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream is tired of being the villain.   
> Too bad that he doesn't have a say in this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: religious themes, character death (with a twist), vomiting, demonic possession, exorcism, panic attacks, implied manipulation, grief, violence
> 
> That's a lot of warnings oh bOy

His family is being ripped away from him. 

Dream can feel it in under bruised, scarred skin that had been kissed by the battlefield too many times to count them all; it was an ache that stuck in his bones and tasted of rotten ambrosia. He is so, so tired.

  
His legs wobble and he almost breaks, crumbles and falls down into the sand _-when was the last time he had been in control of his body, of anything-_ but what is the point of it all if there is no one to catch him, to hold him and promise that it will be alright?

Nothing is alright, everything is wrong but he is powerless against the voice is in his head, his polar opposite that had been clutching and controlling his body for so long.

  
And now control is back in his hands. It is accompanied by a ringing in his ears and blood in his mouth, an ache in his bones and black marks showing up on his skin but it is control and it tastes of gold and old times with George and Sapnap and Bad and Ant and it is so perfect, the bittersweet taste of victory is so euphoric that it is overwhelming.

  
And he wishes that he could go back in time, stop himself from agreeing to work with the voice, to let it take control and ruin his life in front of his very eyes, to rip his friends out of his broken hands, to threaten a fucking child, for fuck's sake, Tommy was _a kid_. 

  
He hadn’t wanted a war. He had wanted a family - _he still does_ \- but it seemed that Wilbur and Tommy and everything in L'manburg kept getting in his way. They tore his family apart, tore themselves away from him on his very own land and that just wasn’t right. All of his loved ones, his friends were supposed to be with him, they were supposed to be a family.

But no, Tommy and Wilbur and their stupid wish to tear it all apart, to build a nation and fight him destroyed it all. They were the ones to blame. They were the ones who needed to go, to leave, to be eliminated at all costs and Wilbur was gone, murdered -not by Dream, no, by his own father and if that wasn’t just bittersweet- and all that was left was Tommy, the kid needed to die, to be killed and to finally disappear, to be left to decay, to die, _to rot-_

  
Dream forces himself out of it; his thoughts are mixing with Nightmare's again and it is devilish and sick, he does not want this, doesn’t want to harm Tommy. He is a kid. A kid. He is so young, _too young_. He-

  
“Dream!”

  
He is ripped from his thoughts in an instant, flinching, though Tommy does not even notice it, staring at the hole in front of him and oh, Dream hates this.

Tommy's eyes are dead, bags prominent under them, his clothes are torn, his skin is dirty and scarred and Dream wants to say something, anything, he wants to apologise but when he tries to Nightmare crushes his windpipe and he promptly chokes on empty words that cannot fix the relationship he tore apart with his own bare hands and coughs and the idea is out of the window. He sucks in some air and makes eye contact with a confused Tommy.

  
“You good big man? I mean, I am done with putting my stuff in the pit so if you’re not feeling well, you can just go on ahead, burn it and then leave. “, he said, tone dull, lifeless and blank and Dream hates it because it isn’t right, it isn’t Tommy and yet it is, he turned him into that empty shell in front of him, this was his fault-

  
“I-“, he pauses, blinks -even though Tommy cannot even see it because Dream is a coward who hides behind a mask- and then continues, ” I, uh, uhm. No. “, he states, trying to put strength behind his voice, but it sounds soft and strangled in his ears, not strong, but so sickeningly nervous and weak. He swears that he hears Nightmare laugh at him, feels his cold hands wrap around his throat and he jerks forward though the feeling doesn’t leave, it never does, the hands stay there. They always do. There is no escaping. 

  
But the newfound life and confusion in Tommy's eyes make it all worth it because maybe he can fix his mistakes, make it all alright, maybe-

  
“You get a free pass today. “, Dream says instead. “So, uh, just grab your stuff, get it out of the hole and-“

  
And Tommy's arms are around him, in a firm, warm, comforting hug and Nightmare's hands are gone almost immediately.

Dream is reminded of warm summer days with his friends, with Ant, Bad, Sapnap and George and he can taste sunshine and flowers on his tongue as Tommy's fresh energy wraps around him and shields him from the poisonous words of the voice, of the demon's cold grasp that longed to drag him into lava and melt his skin and bones. 

  
He is reminded of Bad's and Sapnap's hugs, Bad's cooking and baking, setting things on fire with Sapnap, fishing with Ant, chasing George until one of them gave up. He is reminded of sharing a bed with his friends, of gazing at the stars until morning rolled around, of warm cuddles, of shared laughter, of sweet reassurances whispered into his ear, of having someone who cares about him, someone who will protect him and someone who he will protect.

  
And then Tommy pulls away, dragging Dream's memories away with him. A grin is on his lips and the life is back in his eyes and yet Dream cannot bring himself to find any joy in it, _it is so cold-_

  
“Thanks, Dream!”, Tommy says with a grin and then kneels down, grabs some of his things and runs. The warmth and safety follow Tommy until they are gone and nothing but a faint memory.

Dream raises his hand, slowly, steadily, he doesn’t even know why and then Nightmare's hands are back, on his throat, his back, his shoulders, his neck, his head, his ears- he is everywhere and it is all too much, much more than Dream can handle -could ever handle- because the dark energy suffocates him and his everything hurts.

  
Dream only realises he is crying when he is sobbing so hard that his whole body trembles, hand stretched out into the direction that Tommy disappeared to -but that is about all he can do, he is frozen in places shivering and sobbing and so alone, where is his family- and he just wishes that the other would come back because Dream needed help, he needed an exorcist, he needed a damn hug, he needed someone by his side, he couldn’t do this alone, he can’t lose control again, not again, please, he was fixing things, not now, not ever, not again-

  
“You are getting side-tracked. “, a voice states calmly, ice dripping from Nightmare's tongue, sticking to Dream's bones and his very core and he chokes on a sob that bubbles up in his throat. 

  
“Do you not remember? You chose this, Dream. You were hungry for power and control, so desperate to keep your stupid little friends—I do not know if I can even call them that, they never liked you anyway but oh well, you can create some lovely illusions in your pretty little head- by your side, for all of you to be a happy family that you willingly welcomed me, offered me all the gold and the stars in the universe and when that wasn’t enough you offered your soul and body. “, Nightmare said and the hand tightens until Dream can’t breathe and a selfish part of him wishes that Nightmare would just end this all, put him out of his misery and the blond hates himself for it.

  
He doesn’t just get to die after everything he did. He doesn’t deserve it and besides, he can’t go, his family needs him, needs a protector, someone who is in control and knows how to handle power, someone who keeps them all together, they need him.

  
(But do they really?)

  
And then control slips out of his hands and he screams because he needs help, now, now, now- 

  
And then it was silent, Nightmare turns his body around and Dream screams and sobs and begs because he had it, he was so close to freedom-

  
“Let us continue. “, Nightmare says and they are gone before Tommy comes back to ask Dream what happened while he was gone. The scream of agony that had left the masked man echoes through the air until the waves carry it away. 

  
If you scream and crash with nobody around, do you ever really fall, do you even make a sound?

Nightmare's howls ring in his ears but no matter how many times he tugs at the strings, Dream doesn’t move, he doesn’t get up and Dream cannot help himself as he lays on the cold, dark floor with no energy left in him, bloody, beaten and bruised. He laughs.

  
His own laugh sounds foreign to his ears, he hadn’t laughed in forever -because Nightmare doesn’t laugh with the joy of a young man who craved adventures, a rush of adrenaline and friendships that would never end.

  
He laughs and his lungs hurt, he tastes blood on his tongue and lips, his ribs ache, his heart skips several beats, his brain hurts, his whole body keeps twitching, to get up and fight and do anything other than laying on the ground but the pain and the static remain overwhelming and ignored and Dream laughs until he is crying and choking. 

  
His family is united, they are all here and together and it is so perfect. He did it. They are all here. All together on the same side. His heart shatters into pieces. He is not with them but it is fine, he hasn’t truly been with them in months, it had been Nightmare, it had always been Nightmare and his lungs ache with a never-ending pain.

His chest feels like it’s about to be torn apart. He should flee and save them but Dream only manages to stop laughing and begin sobbing, clutching his throat when he can feel something crawl up his windpipe. His time as a vessel was over, his time was over, Dream would not survive it, their deal was over. But what did it matter, he did it-

  
“I did it. “, he chokes out, something drips from his lips but he doesn’t know what it is, the world is a blur of colours and noises and he can barely breathe.

  
“What the fuck?”, Tommy chokes out and Dream tries to focus on him but he can’t and so he laughs again, dragging himself towards Tommy only to have several weapons pointed at him. Dream laughs again.

It feels like that is all he can do. Nightmare laughs along. His chuckle is so high-pitched that Dream's ears ring again. Death is on his tongue and in the air and Dream chokes.

  
“I did it. Tommy,”, he breathes out and forces himself into his feet, stumbling forward and into Tommy, grasping the boy's shoulders even though it hurt to touch the -his, he made this- netherite armour. “Do you not see it? We are a family, one big happy family! You, you are all here and together and-“, he chokes and coughs and grasps his shoulders harder, he needs more time, he hasn’t said everything he wanted to say yet. Hysteria makes him laugh again, tears rolling down his cheeks and sobs seemingly joined Nightmare's side, making it hard to breathe, to exist, to think, to speak-

  
“He always said I am not good enough but look, I brought us- brought you together. You can finally be a big, happy family, that is all I ever wanted for you. What I did doesn’t make me proud and you all hate me for it but you should thank me, everything I did was for you, it has always been for you guys, always for you, I gave my all to make us a big, happy family and-“

  
Dream collapses, hands slipping away from Tommy and towards his throat, clutching, scratching, coughing. He feels so sick-

“And I know I should have done better, fought him, been better but I know I am not good enough for that. I have never been good enough. Not for him. Not for you. Not for myself. And I am really, really sorry. “

  
The entire server is here. Nightmare misjudged them, his family. The demon doesn’t stand a chance. He trusts them, trusts their strength. They would be able to win. They always do.

“But now it is time for payback, Tommy. “, he says, addressing the teen in front of him. “Give me hell. “

  
And then Dream crumbles and falls. Nightmare rises from his ashes, forcing Dream's body up, trembling and weak with no weapons but Nightmare only needed a vessel.

Dream's body promptly slams itself face-first into a wall, the mask shattering and revealing glowing eyes and marks crawling up freckled pale skin like black tentacles.

  
“Oh God. “, Tubbo mutters and Fundy and Sapnap scream out,” Dreamon!”, before the building starts to fall apart. 

  
People flee like scared little animals, scattering like rats and in the midst of it, all Nightmare stands and grins, spreading his arms as he basks in chaos and freedom. When the building is as ruined as Dream's very essence, they all turn and wither and he only laughs, spreading his arms farther until they tremble from the stretch. 

  
“Surprise!”, he shouts with a grin that is so wide that it is unnatural and everyone stares at him with horror in their eyes. The fear and anger taste good on his tongue and Nightmare doesn’t drop the smile.

  
“Dream, what are you doing?! Stop!”, someone shouts and Dream's head snaps around so quickly that a cracking sound follows. The grin widens, the body slaps its hands together, mimicking a clap. “George, was it?”, he asks and the man frowns. Nightmare laughs at the irritation on his face.

“God, you are so stupid, I did such a good job dethroning you, you were not made to be in control. And how you and your friend got mad at poor little Dream? Perfect, made it much easier for me, thank you, George! “

He spins around, spreading his arms again. “And of course, you guys too! Would have been impossible without you, really. But you made it so easy for me, Dream was so desperate to bring you guys together he welcomed his doom with open arms."

The Dreamon chuckles and grins, pupils dilated and teeth bloody. “And the best part is: no one here noticed! And you two and your stupid exorcism attempt-“, he points at Fundy and Tubbo, ” you have made it so much easier for me to take control-“

  
“Wait, what- How long have you been- Since when- What-“, Tommy asks, stumbling over his words, eyes wide, hands shaking.   
Nightmare's laugh is creepy and loud, not comparable to Dream's stupid tea kettle noises and yet the sound is in the air once more as if they cannot escape it.

“I have been here since the first fucking war! And you never noticed. Not even you two, his ‘best friends'!’, he exclaims and points at George and Sapnap. The younger of the two recoils, George points his weapon at Nightmare.

“Stop this- What- Give us Dream back. Now. “, he says, voice quivering a bit and Nightmare cackles.

  
“What- Are you threatening me?”, he mocks, amused and George's shoulders tremble with anger. “Yes. Give him back right now or I will kill you. “And that sends the creature into another fit, body shaking from the laughter as if George had told him a funny joke. “Ah, you are so stupid. “, he states and wipes a tear from his eye. George frowns.

  
“ _George_. “, Technoblade speaks up from the back. He had been silent the entire time. Now he stood next to Philza, sword in hand, icy eyes on the demon.

“This may be the demon you are talking to right now but it is Dream's body. This is just an entity who is possessing him. If you kill him, you are not killing him. You are killing _Dream_. And that fucker is just going to appear and wait until some other poor unfortunate soul is going to summon him. “, the man growls and Nightmare applauds. “Looks like some of you are rather smart!”

  
Techno bares his teeth in response, Philza puts a hand on his shoulder. No one dares to move and silence wraps itself around the people in the room, the gravity of the situation settling in. 

  
The three Dreamon Hunters subconsciously move towards each other. 

  
“Tubbo. “, Sapnap starts quietly, eyes on Nightmare as he speaks. “Please tell me you know what we can do to get Dream back. “   
The kid is still standing near Tommy, a hand holding the one that belonged to his best friend. Neither of them knew if it was for comfort or to keep the blonde from doing anything stupid.

“I mean- I. “, the young man pauses, blinks and frowns. “There is a ritual but I- it is dangerous. Most people who it was performed on- they don’t - they didn't survive it. “, he breathes and looks at the other. “But is our only option. Pick out some people who can restrain him. Whisper it to them because if this guy notices what we want to do, he will flee. And if this guy flees he can destroy this world. Dream is the admin. If he is gone he can teleport away and delete the world- us- with ease. Fundy and I will do the ritual. “

  
With that Tubbo lets go of Tommy and steps forward, Fundy following suit. Nightmare turns towards them and his lips curl. “Oh, if that aren’t my two favourite failures. I don’t think I have thanked the two of you enough for shutting Dream in. Made it so much easier, really. “

Fundy growls and Nightmare snorts, making mocking cooing sounds. “Aw, is the little puppy angry? Angry that his own father left him and died right afterwards? Angry that he has never been man enough? Angry that he couldn’t protect his own-“

  
“Now!”, Tubbo shouts and steps aside when Techno, Philza, Punz, Sapnap, Jack, Eret, Hbomb and Ponk rush forward, tackling Nightmare who let out a screech that might as well have been deafening. It was and ringing fills Tubbo's ears but he simply pulls out his book, looks for the right page and then tugs Fundy closer, pointing at the part they would need to read out. The man nods in understanding. 

  
“In the Name of everything this land stands for, strengthened by the intercession of the immaculate power the Dreamon Hunters we have gathered over the years, of all the Saints our unopened minds will never get to see and powerful in the holy authority of our ministry,we confidently undertake to repulse the attacks and deceits of the Dreamon. “, he starts and Nightmare, who had gone silent in order to fight the people who were restraining him, cries out in terror. It is an ear-piercing sound but Tubbo continues. 

“The Blood God arises;  
His enemies are scattered  
and those who hate Him flee before Him.  
As smoke is driven away,  
so are they driven;  
as wax melts before the fire,  
so the wicked perish at the presence of the Blood God.

  
We drive you from us,  
whoever you may be,  
unclean spirits,  
all satanic powers,  
all infernal invaders,  
all wicked legions,  
assemblies and sects.”

  
“Stop!”, the creature screams before it arches and its body spasms. Nightmare vomits blood and nails and glass, chokes and vomits again. The contents do not change.   
Tubbo grabs Fundy's hand. They keep going.

“In the Name and by the power of the Blood God, may you be snatched away and driven from our land  
and from the souls made to the image and likeness of the Gods. 

The Highest God commands you, stop deceiving human creatures and pouring out to them the poison of eternal damnation. “

  
Dream's body twitches and tries to free itself, to float and almost drags some people up with it, and he growls and claws at everything he could reach. More people join and hold him down. The screams get louder. 

“Begone, Dreamon, inventor and master of all deceit,  
enemy of man's salvation.”

  
“Sappy! Please, please-“, they pause once more and look at Dream who is staring at Sapnap, sobbing and dry-heaving. “Please, it hurts, they are hurting me, don’t let them, please-“

  
“They are doing what they have to do. You will feel better soon, Dream. I promise. “ Sapnap's reply was soft, tone comforting and gentle but Dream's pupils only dilate and he screams profanities, banging his head against the floor until Awesamdude manages to keep his head still so that he can’t hurt himself further. “I hate you! I fucking hate you! “, Nightmare shrieks, though Tubbo doesn’t know who the man is even talking to at this point. Sapnap flinches. Fundy keeps going. 

“Stoop beneath the all-powerful Hand of the Blood God;  
this name which causes hell to tremble,  
Whose reign there shall be no end,  
we humbly prostrate ourselves before Thy glorious Majesty  
and we beseech Thee to deliver us by Thy power  
from all the tyranny of the infernal spirits,  
from their snares,  
their lies and their furious wickedness.

Deign, O Lord,  
to grant us Thy powerful protection  
and to keep us safe and sound.

We beseech Thee through the Blood God.

So be it. “

  
Dream chokes on a scream, his body spasms. His eyes roll back and then he goes limp beneath all the people that held him down. The marks fade away and smoke crawls out of Dream's mouth but it disappears before it can try to leave the room.

It's over. This time, for real.

Tubbo swallows. Sam lets go of Dream's head -his hands jerking away from the retreating marks that crawl down Dream's body. The blonde's head drops into the mess of blood, spit, nails and glass beneath him and the man immediately grabs it again, wiping the other's face with his sleeve and tugging out the shards. “Sorry. “, Sam whispers, the first to speak after whatever had just happened. 

  
Sapnap stops pinning his friend down in favour of kneeling at his side and cradling his face in his hands. “Dream? Man? Can you hear me?” Silence. They all wait. No reply.

Sapnap gags. George chokes behind him and moves to kneel next to Sapnap, resting a hand on Dream's shoulder. “Dream? It's me, George. Can- can you hear me?”, he implores, hesitantly, fear in his tone. His hand moves to the younger's throat. George's eyes widen. “I- I can’t find his pulse. “

  
Phil and Techno immediately move to the front, the others let go as well. Phil’s tugs George's hand away and replaces it with his own. He waits a bit before he grabs Dream's wrist instead. He drops it a few seconds later. He turned towards George and Sapnap, placing his hands on their shoulders.

“Mates, I-“, he sighs and squeezes. _“I am so sorry. “_

  
“No. “, Sapnap lets out and shoves Phil aside to tug his friend into his arms. There is no resistance.

“Dream- Hey, man, man, Dream- it is me, Sapnap. C’mon. You can stop pretending. This wasn’t you. We won’t hurt you; we won’t do anything to you. We- It wasn’t you. It wasn’t your fault. You can stop pretending now. We can go home. “, he declares and smiles down at Dream who is staring at nothing with empty eyes.

“ _Dream_. “, he repeats and George drops his weapons next to him in favour of hiding his face in his hands. His shoulders shake. Sapnap's smile grows tense. “ _Dream_. Wake up. Buddy. Let’s go home. We should all cuddle- we haven’t done that in so long. “, he chokes back a sob, tugs Dream to his chest.

“ _Dream_. Don’t you want to come home with George? With Bad? With Ant?” Sapnap sobs and buries his face in Dream's hair. “ _With me?”_

  
Bad and Ant seemed to finally snap into reality, slowly joining their friends on the ground. Their eyes are red, they still aren’t entirely themselves. But further away from the egg, they are able to think more clearly, more freely. 

  
Bad wrapped his arms around Sapnap, attempting to comfort his friend. Tears were rolling down his cheeks but no words left his lips. Ant placed a hand on George's shoulder. A sign that the other wasn’t alone. That they were here. That the Dream Team was together. 

  
(Could they call themselves the Dream Team when their Dream was gone?)

“Duckling?”, Puffy breathes out and Niki and her come closer, Ranboo hesitantly following behind them. Puffy squeezes between Sapnap and George, resting a shaking hand on Dream's cold cheek. “Dreamling?”

  
“Hey. “, Quackity chokes out. His eyes are glassy. “Pranking people is Skeppy's thing. “

Bad sobs.

“You can stop pretending. You have us bawling our eyes out, it's time to stop. To fucking wake up- _Man_ , Dream, we know you’re strong. This _couldn’t_ have killed you-“, he says and Dream remains limp. The young man slowly leans against the ruins behind him, sliding down. “Holy shit. “, he mumbles, eyes wide and on Dream, only on Dream. 

  
Tommy pulls Tubbo towards him when the other sobs. “This is my fault; I must have messed up the ritual. “, he chokes out and Fundy rests a hand on his shoulder with a frown. “No, it’s probably mine. Don’t be too hard on yourself, Tubbo. You’re just a kid. “, he says. 

  
“I don’t think you guys should blame yourselves. This is the first time you have done something like this, right?”, Ranboo speaks up, eyes on the floor, his feet. He doesn’t look at Dream, doesn’t look at the bloody mess below the man and definitely not at his sobbing friends. His hands shake. “This required practise, practice you didn’t have. You did your best-“

  
“And our best wasn’t _enough_. “, Fundy interrupts with bitterness as he stares at Dream's lifeless body. Tommy has taken off Dream's armour. His face was pale, he looked sick. “This- I never thought that this is what was going on. Holy shit. _This is so fucked_. “, he mumbles and Techno stares at him, then back at Dream. 

  
He opens his mouth, then closes it. Silence settles over them like a thick suffocating blanket that is only shrugged off by quiet sobs and gasps. 

  
All of a sudden there is a loud gasp followed by violent coughing and Sapnap jerks his head away from Dream who struggles out of Sapnap's arms until he is on the ground, dry-heaving before he retches, blood -and something black that no one can really identify- and metal scraps slip from his bloody lips, the young man barely holds himself up with trembling arms.

He heaves and heaves until he is just panting and then the sobbing begins as Dream curls in on himself and hides his face behind his knees and arms. The man who had been under a demon's influence for several years, the man who ruined their lives was reduced to a bloody, trembling, sobbing mess on the floor.

  
Techno is the first who comes back to himself, taking off his pig skull mask and kneeling down next to Dream. “Hey, Dré. I have a mask. Do you want it?”, he asks and Dream risks a peek at the other before he snatches the hand that holds the mask, tugging it closer so that his trembling hands can grab it.

And the blond tries to put it on, though Techno has to help when Dream's hands shake too much. 

  
Puffy is the one who rips herself out of her trance next, moving over to Dream. “Oh, duckling. Can I touch you? Are you okay with that?”, she invites and in response, Dream lunged forward and they all tensed -maybe it hadn’t worked, after all, maybe this was Nightmare who was trying to trick them again, maybe he was going to attack and kill them all- and then he wraps his arms around her and sobs.

Puffy hugs him and Dream starts babbling, words flowing out of his mouth though it sounded like indecipherable nonsense from how slurred they were. The Dream Team join in on the hug afterwards, even George who is trying to hide his face and the tears that were rolling down his cheeks. 

  
“Dream, duckling, it is alright. I have you. You’re safe. “, Puffy mutters and runs her fingers through his hair. Eret pulls out a handkerchief and kneels down behind Puffy to get access to Dream's face and wipe the remains of what happened earlier away as if it had never happened. But it did. It wasn’t something that could just be forgotten. Many of them knew that what had happened to Dream would haunt them at night. 

  
“I am sorry. “, Dream chokes out.

“It’s okay. “, Sapnap says. They know it isn't. But no one dares to speak up and voice their thoughts, not now and not with the blond at least. And yet Dream starts struggling again, shaking his head. “No, it’s not- the things I did, _Tommy_ -“

  
“It wasn’t you, though. “, Tommy states matter of factly, nervously glancing at the broken mask on the ground. “It- it was that thing-“

  
“But I let that _thing_ have control. I offered my body, my soul, my everything because I wanted to fix something, to _have_ something that I was never meant to have. I belonged to that demon and on some days I didn’t even mind. Because I had a goal in mind and I thought what I did was for the greater good. “, Dream chuckles and gags immediately afterwards.

_“I am not even capable of doing anything good_. I was the villain here from the very beginning. I am such a fucking failure. “, he chokes, blood drips from his lips and Eret moves to wipe it away but the blonde turns his head and grins at Tommy. His lips are torn, blood runs from his nose, his teeth are red. The teenager doesn't dare to think about the wounds hidden beneath the mask.

“And I never fit in this family, to begin with. “

  
“ _Dreamling_. “, Puffy says and Dream frowns, trying to jerk away. “Stop calling me that! You do not even _mean_ it; you’re lying to me. You are all _fucking lying_ to me. You never gave a shit about me. “, he snaps and bares his teeth when Puffy pulls him away to look at his face.

“Puppy. _Dream_. Listen, sunshine, we care about you. You have always been a part of our family; you always will be. None of us would be here if we didn’t care about you. We love you. We care about you, you are a part of our family, always have been and always will be. “

  
“You stopped loving me when Nightmare came around. “, Dream reminds them bitterly, face pulled into a grimace. 

  
“But now he is gone. “, Ranboo remarks softly and Eret hums. “Yeah. And you’re back. “

  
“I still love you. “, Sapnap says. “I do too!”, Bad adds with a huff and Dream giggles, though it dissolves into coughing. 

  
“And I think that all of us should go back home, eat and catch up on some Z's. “, Techno mutters with a sigh. “Before Dream coughs his lungs up. Tubbo.” The teen turns towards him with wide, teary eyes and salutes. “Yes, Technoblade?”, he inquires.

  
“Is Dream good to go home? Or does he need anything? “, Techno asks, nodding towards the bundle that is Dream who is still clinging to Puffy, though his posture is more relaxed than before and his breaths are more even.   
Tubbo blinks and hums, tilting his head to the side. “I think all he needs are a bath, food, some healing potions and a lot of sleep. Who takes care of that?”

  
“I will. “, Sapnap declares and Bad blinks, bites his lips and then has a determined look on his face. “I suppose being away from the egg for a bit won’t hurt. I will help. “ Ant raises his hand. “Me too. “George sniffles, wipes his face to appear more composed than anyone here felt. “I will come too. “, he says.

Phil also raises his hand. “I will come as well. “ Techno sighs and rolls his eyes. “Where Phil goes, I'm going. Besides, I need to make sure that the homeless man won’t break my mask. “

Punz and Sam are the next people who volunteer. “I will tag along as well. “, Sam announces with a glance at his former friend. Punz shrugs. “I am just here to make sure that Sam doesn’t die. We don’t really have a lot of smart people here. If he dies, we will lose brain cells. “

  
“Hey!”

  
Puffy giggles and stands up, tugging Dream up with the help of the Dream Team and handing Dream over to Awesamdude upon realising that their admin is asleep. “I will join as well. “

  
“Looks like we are good to go. “, Sam states and Bad hums. “Where to?”, the hybrid asks and George and Sapnap immediately start arguing over where they should stay while Phil keeps trying to get the upper hand, suggesting Techno's cottage.

Techno simply waves at Ranboo who promises to join them in a bit and then they are off.

  
Eret sighs softly, ruffling Tubbo's hair. “I think I will join too. You good kid?”, he questions. Tubbo gives him thumbs up and then the king leaves with Fundy and Niki following, shouting as they caught up with the others.

  
Tubbo glances at Tommy and smiles. “Look at us being a family after all this time. I kind of missed this. “, he says and watches Sam disappear into the portal with a sleeping Dream in his arms.

  
Tommy lets out a soft sigh. After all these years of pain and misery, it is finally over.

  
“Yeah. I missed it too. “


	6. You were the golden child, marked by the sun's flesh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream meets Dream.  
> It doesn't go well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: death, injuries, violence, burning alive, mentioned manipulation, mentioned suicide, choking, degradation, panic attacks, derealisation, hospitals (briefly mentioned at the end)
> 
> Someone wanted IRL Dream to meet canon Dream so here you go.  
> I don't use real names, sorry, but I only do personas.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Up, right, down, left.

The clock was one of the things that never changed in the little obsidian box. Other constant things that kept him grounded, kept him sane ( _but was he really sane if he had heard the sound of the strings inside him snapping one by one_ ) were the heat of the lava - _that you could never escape_ , no matter where you went, it followed you, stuck to your skin like a leech- a chest filled with books -he was no poet, he could not string together words to glorify the situation he was in, it was terrible and dark, it felt like drowning and burning, like too much and not enough, like everything and nothing at all- a glowstone that was too dim to allow the warmth of comfort but bright enough to stop any monsters from spawning, a respawn point and a cauldron.

He was surrounded by obsidian, black, sharp and hot beneath his bloody fingers that had scratched and punched until all that he could hear was the sound of his own bones cracking. It didn’t stop him from trying. It never would.

He would dig and claw and scream in anger when it didn’t work, sometimes he would throw himself into the lava, other times he would throw the clock -sometimes for Sam's attention, for needed human interaction, a touch, a conversation or because the ticking just didn’t go away- but most of the time he just sat on the chest, listened to the clock tick -even if there was no clock, its sound rang in his ears, a never-ending melody of doom and lunacy- and stared at the black obsidian wall.

Sometimes if he stared long enough, he could pretend that he was free, sitting on a hill, tasting summer wishes on his tongue as he saw his friends run around in a flower field while the sun watched over them like a guardian of an undiscovered world. But the illusion was fragile like glass and Dream's calloused hands were not meant to handle something so unstable. It shattered minutes after he created it, leaving the bittersweet taste of memories and salty tears behind.

Dream let the thoughts slip from his mind until it felt like he was floating, as if his body was not his own and as if he could stare at the wall forever. And he could. He hadn’t had a visitor in ages. He wouldn’t have one again anytime soon. He knew that. There was no one to interrupt him, he was alone. They had stopped visiting as if he wasn’t worth it -and he probably really wasn’t- but as long as they needed something from him, they would keep him alive. And that was all he needed.

He hadn’t had a visitor in ages. So, imagine his surprise when one just appeared out of nowhere.

The stranger snapped him out of his trance and he turned towards them, only to recoil in shock. Maybe he had gone nuts after all because he saw himself standing there -not exactly him, the man wore a green hoodie and short pants with worn-out shoes – he saw his face.

The one thing that he had fought so hard to hide on display. But this face was softer, rounder, no scars present. He didn’t have Dream's sunken in cheeks from the lack of food, he didn’t have the bags under his eyes (eyes that weren’t dull but as bright as the stars) from sleepless nights filled with the terror of loneliness and abandonment nor did he have the remains from countless fights disfiguring him.

Just tanned skin, blonde hair, freckles and jade eyes that glimmered with confusion and a hint of fear. The features were so soft, it reminded Dream of better times that crumbled when he dared to hold their faint outlines in his blood-crusted, broken hands, decaying from his own desires. He hated it, hated this man ( _hated himself_ ).

“Who are you?”, Dream snapped, darting to his feet. He would have tugged out his axe and held up his shield but he had nothing and the anger that came with no possessions burned as hot as the lava behind the imposter.

Even though he had no weapons, the other flinched away, hands raised in surrender. The colour had drained from his face, the confusion almost fully replaced by terror and uncertainty. Dream loved it, it made him feel like the master of the board like he finally was in control and he hadn’t been in control of anyone for such a long time -

“I- uh, Dream- I am Dream. “, the man choked out and that was _his_ voice and it just couldn’t be. Dream bared his teeth, painted in burgundy and the man took another step back, only to stride forward upon realising that he was getting too close to the lava. There was no escape ( _he knew it because he had tried so many times but he would never succeed, no prisoner would leave after coming here unless they were set free_ ).

Dream grinned -a sinister, dirty thing-, approaching the man who tried to side-step to avoid him. Dream followed every step, every slip and slide. There was no escaping. Not from prison. Not from him.

“Oh, really?”, he drawled, venom dripping from bloody, cracked lips like honey. He watched the man shudder. “Because my name is Dream and I doubt that anyone would have the same name as me and look exactly like me. “, he said and the other man stared at him, hands now at his sides. He was tense and nervous, eyes darting from him to the free spaces on his left and right. The man was ready to pounce, to flee. But there was no escape. His grin widened. A visitor who couldn’t leave. Finally, something new, exciting.

“No, please, listen to me, you have to let me explain-“, the other started again, taking a step towards Dream, despair in his eyes. Approaching Dream had been a mistake and the masked man would let him know. He lunged, tackling the man and sending both of them to the ground. The imposter's head hit the floor with so much force that the man went limp beneath him for a few seconds and afterwards the male whined in pain, eyes blown wide as he stared at him with terror and discomfort.

Dream hadn’t felt this good in such a long time. He was in control. He straddled the man, hands flying towards his throat. They were broken, bloody and damaged but that didn’t stop his grip from tightening until the man underneath him was letting out strangled sobs, tears flowing from his eyes as he clawed at the hands.

Long, angry red marks were added and sometimes the nails dug into old wounds but Dream wouldn’t be a feared warrior if he let that stop him. The blonde beneath him bucked his hips and tried to kick him, gagging and sobbing and begging, his pulse fluttering underneath his fingers like a caged butterfly.

And there was no way that this was him because Dream was better than this. He was strong and powerful, a mastermind, a warrior, _a God_. He snarled. “I don’t need your little explanation. You and I, we are not the same. Want to know why?”, he asked and started to slowly slide their bodies across the floor and towards the lava.

The man beneath him let out panicked strangled whines upon realising what was about to happen, trashing and digging his nails further into the open wounds of his hands. Blood rolled down, they were both red, different and yet the same. Dream sneered.

“You are weak. Pathetic. You can’t even fight a starved man with no weapons, can’t even protect yourself. You are just laying here, begging and crying like a little bitch. You are _nothing_ compared to me- hell, you are nothing compared to anyone! I don’t know why they thought that sending you here would be smart- OH! I suppose they just don’t care about you. They just wanted you to die. Or maybe they sent you here because you are so weak. After all, you are not good enough and nobody wants you. What would they even use you for? You can’t do anything. They just wanted to get rid of you because you are nothing but a burden on their shoulders, a waste of space, a waste of food and water, armour, clothes, love and friendship “, he said and the man beneath him shook his head, eyes squeezing shut.

Tears continued to roll down his cheeks, the blond beneath him trembling. Dream let go of the man's throat who immediately cried out. He should have expected it. But what did it matter?

“Sam! Sam! Please- Sam! Anyone- Help- Help me!” Dream snickered and then burst into laughter, watching bruises form on the other's throat. “You think that Sam is going to come because you called him? He hasn’t come by in a while to visit _me_ , so he surely won’t come for _you_. “, he hissed with the bitterness of a man who had nothing left to lose and smiled down at the lad.

“How about you go for a nice, little swim? The lava is quite refreshing. You will feel like you have been reborn. “, he said and got up, dragging the imposter towards the lava by his hair. At least the man put more effort into it this time. He struggled to get up, kicking and trashing, gasping for air before he screamed again. “ _Sammy! Please_ -“, and the sound was high-pitched and reminded him of George during their games when he would scream, George who hated him, George who hadn’t visited him once and-

And suddenly the lava curtain that covered the open side of the little box was cleared, revealing a bridge moving towards them with Sam on it. Dream stopped and stared. He felt the other twist his head and heard him talk but he didn’t know the words.

Static filled his ears. His grip loosened. He saw the man drop to the ground in the corner of his eye.

Sam came.

He didn’t come because Dream had destroyed clock after clock, burned some of his books, killed himself over and over, punched the walls until his bones broke and not because he had screamed his throat raw.

No, he came for the stranger who was shakily rising to his feet to stumble toward the approaching bridge.

His lips tightened. Jealousy and betrayal rushed through his veins like drugs, pressing against his skin and quickening his heartbeat. Sam, his friend, didn’t come for him once. But this little maggot had to scream a few times and he was on his way?

“It’s not fair. “, Dream said and the other blond turned towards him with a soft “Huh?”. Dream growled.

“It should have been me he was coming for! I am his friend! Not you!”, he snapped and jumped towards the other, digging his nails into the soft vulnerable flesh around the imposter's throat, pushing them over the edge and towards the lava.

Dream cried out in pure terror when there was no ground underneath his feet all of a sudden. One of his arms reached out for Sam who kneeled down to reach out for him. Their fingers grazed. Dream plummeted into the lava.

The feeling of burning was something he had experienced before. A couple of times, but still. Often their stove was the one to blame.

But nothing that happened to him was comparable to the lava that was eating his flesh, boiling hot and everywhere. And it hurt. There was no escaping, the other had let go of him -though Dream wasn’t sure if he had done it because he wanted to or because he could no longer hold on- and he had squeezed his eyes shut, trying to not dig his nails into his skin, trying not to breathe, to think about how it burned his flesh-

He tried to swim upwards, his legs aimlessly kicking for a bit before his body started disobeying him, submitting to the pain that flooded his system-

And then it was over. His throat and head still hurt but the ground beneath him was cold and solid. _Cold_. Dream sobbed. He had been pushed into lava. He collapsed and curled in on himself and cried. With his legs tugged to his chest and his face hidden between his knees, he could find some faux safety. He had been burnt alive. He had died. He had literally died. He wrapped his arms around his trembling form to somewhat resemble a hug and tried to imagine it was _Sapnap_ who was holding him, telling him that everything would be okay, but it wasn’t, he had died, he had burned and it still hurt, why did it still hurt, he was out, he was safe, _was he safe_ -

Dream gasped for air; his breaths uneven. His body was shuddering, his vision was swimming, bile rose in his throat, making it harder to breathe. He gagged and dug his nails into his arms to rip himself out of it. The nightmare was over, he was at home, probably out of bed and on the floor.

He ignored that the floor was too hard to be his, ignored the soft breeze caressing the skin that had been burned, ignored the headache and how his throat hurt, ignored the sounds of animals and voices in the distance. “Sa- Sapnap. “, he choked out, weak but too quiet.

Sapnap was probably asleep and he would be groggy and mad if Dream woke up him up because of a stupid nightmare but he didn’t care, he fucking needed something, anything to rip him out of this and ground him.

“Sapnap!”, he repeated louder, voice cracking and he trembled and where was Sapnap? Surely, he had been loud enough, surely Sapnap heard him, surely the nightmare was over, surely Sapnap was on his way, surely, he would soon hear him whisper reassurances into his ear, surely, he would soon feel his arms around him, surely-

And then he heard footsteps and he choked out a “Sapnap-“. The footsteps stopped somewhere next to him but he heard more and that didn’t make sense, he was still hallucinating, that couldn’t be real, it was just him and Sapnap in this house, just the two of them-

“Hallo?”, someone asked and it sounded like Techno and that just didn’t make sense- He had to be hallucinating. This was Sapnap. He was just still having issues because of the nightmare. He sobbed.

“Sap-“, he repeated and turned towards the source of the voice, raising his head. He was greeted with a film of colours, his vision still blurry. Still, he uncurled himself and shakily rose to his feet like a young fawn, stumbling towards the person until he hit something solid.

He felt warmth and fabric beneath his fingers and held onto the person's - _no, Sapnap's, it had to be him_ \- clothes for dear life. The other tensed but Dream didn’t care and just clung to him, sobbing. “Sapnap. “, he whimpered and hesitant arms wrapped around his shuddering form. “I- uh, I am not Sapnap. “, the person stated awkwardly and it sounded like Ranboo and it just couldn’t be-

“Sapnap. Sapnap-“, he choked out and squeezed his eyes shut, legs wobbling and the other person lowered both of them to the ground, touch light and barely there but Dream needed to be grounded, to be held, he needed his friend here with him, why the fuck was Sapnap so distant, they were childhood friends, this was normal-

“Sapnap. “, he repeated like a broken recorder and he heard the other mutter a soft and panicked, ” Help me, I don’t know what to do-“, and there was a delicate, “Wait, mate, let me-“, and then Sapnap slipped out of his grasp.

Dream screamed in terror, eyes flying open as he reached out for his friend, desperately trying to grab the blur of colours, his friend, the one person he could rely on, the one who kept him grounded and away from the nightmare, he couldn’t go back, he didn’t want to go back, he didn’t want to die again, it had hurt so much, he had been scared, how could his friend leave him after this, he wasn’t supposed to, he needed to stay-

And then arms wrapped around him soft and warm and grounding and Dream went limp, his hands coming up to clutch the fabric. He felt feathers tickle his skin and buried his face in the cloth, clinging to Sapnap -but was it Sapnap- for dear life.

“Sapnap, Sap-“. And the other person hushed him softly. “It’s alright, mate, I’ve got you. You’re safe. You’re alright. You’re doing so well. Deep breaths, now. “ Dream didn’t understand why it sounded like Phil. He heard a soft” Who is that?”, and it sounded like Puffy and Dream made a confused, strangled sound at the back of his throat.

The person holding him gently shushed him again. “I don’t know. “, the man said helplessly and Dream choked, tightening his grip. “Sap, Sap, don’t- please, it's me, it's me, Dream, please, I-“, he choked and just wanted his friend to stop messing around, he couldn’t handle this right now. He felt the person holding him tense and dug his nails into the fabric. “Don't leave me, don’t leave. “

“Doesn't sound like Dream. “, Puffy's voice rang through the air, sceptic and Dream was reminded of his own hate-filled eyes burning into his soul, of choking, of no oxygen filling his desperate lungs, of blood and burning hot lava. The other Dream's words rang in his ears, in his head. He gagged.

“He said I am not good enough, Sapnap. He said that all of you wanted me dead and then he-“

“Who?”, Phil's voice asked and he shuddered because he didn’t know how to explain it was weird and stupid and-

There was a thud somewhere behind him, the sound of water splashing and Dream flinched away and into the person holding him. “Sam. “, Phil's voice greeted the new person and the footsteps got closer. Sam reminded Dream of his nightmare -of prison and lava melting his skin and bones, tearing him apart- and he squeezed his eyes shut, holding onto whoever was the one who held him for dear life.

“Phil- I think you found who I am looking for. “, Sam said. “Did Dream escape?”, Techno's voice asked. “No. “, Sam's voice replied. There was a pause and all that filled the air were Dream's gasps and sobs.

“Well- yes, but actually no. It's kind of difficult because you see, we have this guy here and then we have our Dream. This one is free and ours is still in prison. And I'll make sure to think of some punishments for him. “, the voice added.

“This Dream? Our Dream? Punishments?”, Puffy's voice asked and there was a hum of confirmation. “He pushed both of them into the lava before I could get to this guy here. He didn’t respawn in Dream's cell either and so I went outside to look for him there. “

“How did you know he was with Dream in the first place?”, Ranboo's voice questioned. “I heard him scream my name. It normally- I usually don’t listen when Dream screams for me. He does it quite often. But this time it sounded so scared, he was asking for help and so I decided that quickly checking in on him wouldn’t hurt. And then I just saw two of them. Then after Dream killed- well, Dream, I saw a message pop up in my communicator. It said _“Dream tried to swim in lava to escape Dream. “_ So, this is either a really weird glitch or we have got two Dreams. “, Sam's voice explained and Dream heard a scoff that made him flinch.

“That's great. “, Ranboo's voice deadpanned and Dream choked out another “Sapnap. “

“You said he called you by your name but he keeps calling all of us Sapnap. “, Techno's voice complained. He felt the person holding him shrug. “I mean, he is kind of freaking out right now, mate. Cut him some slack. “, the man said and laughed and it sounded like Phil and it just couldn’t be. He tightened his grip.

“Sapnap. I am hallucinating. Please help me. “, he pleaded and there was a sharp intake of breath. “What do you mean “hallucinating?”, someone asked from behind him and he tried to push himself further into the person holding him to escape the madness that stuck to him like glue, sticky and unpleasant.

“I hear voices, Sap and it just isn’t stopping. I can hear Phil and Techno and Sam and Ranboo”, he choked and tugged at the material, ” but I can’t hear you. I don’t – I didn’t- help me. Please. “, he begged and there were hands rubbing circles into his back. “Mate, I am really sorry but I am Phil. Not Sapnap. “

“Listen- Sap, do something, call an ambulance or my family, God, call my mum, please, just help me-“, he sobbed out and heard a soft “Oh, duckling. “ He only sobbed again and then the person leaned back to wipe his eyes. His vision started to clear and he was looking at Phil -not the Phil he knew but a man with longer blonde hair, a bucket head, wings and green clothes- and he was still hallucinating.

This wasn’t real, Phil wasn’t real and- was Dream real? Was this- What was this? He didn’t even know, nothing made sense anymore. The world was a blur of colours and faces and voices and-

“What do we do?”, Ranboo asked and he turned his head to watch them, still clinging to Phil and sobbing when the other man briefly let go of him. Phil might not be real but he was his comfort source, he couldn’t leave. But the man only got a better grip on him and pulled him into his chest again. He wasn’t leaving just yet. Sam shrugged. “I think we should call a server meeting before we do anything else. If there are two Dreams and the peaceful one is out here people should know. “

“No, don’t-“, Dream choked out, clinging to Phil and Ranboo frowned. “I know Dream is a prick but like-“, he paused and glanced at the blond who was shaking in Philza's arms, ” I- I don’t just want to reveal his face in front of the entire server. No one here ever saw Dream's face- well, until now. And we would be really bad people if we just went ahead and showed it to over thirty people without his consent. We wouldn’t be better than him. And also, this Dream doesn’t deserve it -at least I don’t think he does-, he seems kind of nice. “

Techno scoffed. “He could be trying to trick us. It's Dream we are talking about here. “, he said with so much venom that Dream shuddered again. Philza rubbed his back and sighed. “Techno, dude, I love you but holy fuck, don’t say that while the man is having a panic attack. Besides, Dream isn’t a good actor anyway. “, he said and ran his fingers through the man's hair, noting how it made the other relax a bit.

“I don’t think he would fake a breakdown where he is a sobbing mess. “Techno shuffled awkwardly. “Uh, for later, I could like- give him my mask. “, he offered helplessly and Dream eyed the pig skull mask on the man's face with horror, burying his face in Philza's shoulder.

He did not want the remains of a dead animal on his skin, didn’t want to breathe in decay and death because he had literally tasted death on his tongue earlier today and it was just so wrong, he was only twenty-one. “I don’t want that. “, he protested weakly. “Please, don’t make me wear that. “

He heard Techno make a noise. “Well, what else are we supposed to do? Craft you a mask?”, he asked and the blond heard Ranboo hum. “Well, actually-“

“Ranboo, we are not making Dream a mask. “

Ranboo watched Dream put on the freshly-crafted mask with a satisfied smile. Techno was sulking next to him. It would have been funny if Dream hadn’t immediately reattached to Philza's side, both of them sitting on a bench while they waited for the rest of the server to arrive.

They had chosen a spot further away from the crater that once was L'manburg. An open clearing, trying to seem peaceful and inviting. Even though it was close to the prison which Sam kept an eye on. The air was tense and the silence was only broken when the rest of the SMP arrived.

Visibly displeased once they saw the masked man next to Philza.

“What the fuck is this fucker doing out of prison, Sam Nook?”, Tommy screeched and Dream tightened his grip on Philza to a painful extent, curling in on himself to appear smaller than he was. Phil winced and Tommy's eyes snapped towards him.

“Phil, has he taken you hostage?”, he asked and then glared at Ranboo, Techno and Puffy. “And you didn’t do anything-“

“Tommy, he didn’t make me his hostage. “, Phil announced with a groan. “And this isn’t the same Dream who exiled you. “, Sam added and Tubbo frowned. “What? Are you saying there is more than one Dream?”, he asked and there were a few groans.

“So, there is more than one manipulative man here? Great. “, someone deadpanned and Dream darted to his feet, stumbling. Several weapons were pointed at him in a matter of seconds but the hope in his voice was as fresh as the flowers in spring.

“Sapnap? Sapnap, are you here?”, he asked and was met with silence until the man in question stepped forward, Karl and Quackity at his side. His expression was unreadable. “Yes. “, he answered, short and cold. Dream flinched.

“Dream, can you explain to us where exactly you are from and how you got here?”, Fundy asked, still sounding suspicious but also curious. “If you really are from a different place, that is. “, Jack added with a cold glare. Dream swallowed and moved back towards Phil.

“I- I can try. “, he said and everyone else looked at him, watching and waiting. The blond made a gesture for them to sit down. “This will take a while. “ He breathed in and out, then placed his hands in his lap, looking down. The last thing he wanted was eye contact.

“Okay. So. My name is Dream, I live in America, I am twenty-one years old and I am-“, he blinked and hesitated, Youtuber and Streamer would take a bit to explain so he settled for focusing on the SMP. “-a content creator. I am the creator of this land and my friends and I decided to make our own little story using our characters. It is called roleplay. We basically turned ourselves into characters that follow a specific storyline. I am not really a writer when it comes to the storyline itself, Tommy and Will- uh, sorry, Wilbur are the ones who are planning it and the rest often just plays it out or establishes their own lore. And I think that I somehow got teleported into the story I created. Into your SMP. “, he said and Quackity snorted.

“Oh yeah? Prove it.”, he said coldly. Dream's breath hitched; his hands tightened into fists. “Are you sure? I might expose some things that are better left unsaid. “, he warned. The other man shrugged in response. “If you really are the creator of this, surely you know some things that only a few of us would know about. “Dream hastily tried to remember some questions his friends answered, the lore they did and began to spill everything that came to his head.

“Techno killed Quackity using his pickaxe. Philza escaped his house arrest several times and wore a creeper head. He wants to build a lot of great things once he loses his last life and exists as a ghost. Phil blew up Techno's house by accident and then fixed it with Ranboo. Tommy was living with Techno for a while. He was in a box with an invisibility potion when I- no, your Dream came to visit. Tubbo and Tommy met the ghost of Alivebur at some point, he told Tommy that he was proud of him. Niki didn’t know about Ghostbur and had a panic attack during the war before Dream was put into prison when she found out that he was still somehow there. Ranboo thought that he helped Dream escape from the prison. He hears Dream's voice in his head. Tubbo thought Tommy killed himself after he visited Tommy and saw the tower. Dream got rid of the party invitations. Dream manipulated Tommy during the exile. Wilbur asked Phil to kill him. Techno felt betrayed by most of you because you got offended by him doing what anarchists do. Phil and Techno found an end portal, Dream XD -my alternative self- made destroyed it. Ponk wanted Sam to be his Valentine but then he stole his tridents, got insecure and threw the idea out the window. “

He paused and blinked, fiddling with his fingers.”I- I can’t think of more right now. Especially not more things that I can tell you without messing with your universe. I don’t know how I got here. I played some Minecraft with Sapnap, said good night to him and then I think we fell asleep together, but I don’t know, I can’t remember, maybe I was alone, maybe he left, I don’t know-“, he mumbled.

“That’s a lot to take in. “, Puffy said and the rest of the SMP hummed. Tubbo frowned. “You escaped house arrest, Phil?”, he asked. “Was rather easy. “, the blond replied with a shrug.

“So. “ Tommy speaking up silenced some of the muttering and Dream tried to hide. Philza simply wrapped his wing around him and pulled him closer. Tommy narrowed his eyes, blue oceans filled with hate and distrust.

“You are telling me that you are not another manipulative fuck who is here to ruin our lives and assist Dream?”, he asked, venom in the cracks of his tongue. Dream's fingers twitched. “I would never-“

“Dream didn’t like him. “, Sam interrupted and watched as Dream's hand gently touched his own throat. Bruises were blooming there like colourful flowers. The eyes of the server switched between him and Sam.

“I came when I heard him shouting for help and Dream threw them both into the lava before I could reach him. Then as soon as he respawned he threw a hissy fit because I came to check on this Dream and not on him. Called him a bunch of nasty things too. “

“Oh yeah? What did he say?”, Quackity asked with a raised eyebrow. It was obvious that he didn’t believe what Sam had just told them, distrust and suspicion decorating his words like floating lanterns. Sam crossed his arms over his chest.

“He said that if I preferred a weak, sobbing, pathetic pretty boy who was good for absolutely nothing and a waste of space I could go fuck myself, said that I was a terrible friend for replacing him. He told me that I could just ruin him and he would still be the better option, he would always be better than the Dream we have here. He says he is better than him, that he has more to offer than some nobody who can’t even win a fight. “

Dream whimpered before Quackity could even say something. “He didn’t even let me explain, he just- he fucking attacked me and then ended up pushing both of us over the edge and into the lava. I- I don’t know how to fight, I never learned it, I didn’t have to- I don’t- he killed me. “

“Yeah? And? You can respawn. “, someone else -Glatt- said and a few people nodded.

Dream dug his nails into his arms. “You can’t respawn where I am from. If you die, you die. That’s it, you’re gone. And I- I am twenty-one, I am too young to die, I still have so many things I want to do, I still want to be able to meet so many of my friends in person, I want to watch my sister grow up, I- I don’t wanna die. “, he muttered and Phil rubbed his back.

“No respawn?”, Fundy asked and frowned. “Like hardcore?”, Phil added and Dream let out a weak chuckle. “No, no. My world has its own dangers but it is not like yours. We have other hazardous things there.” Tommy put his sword away.

“Stop crying, I can’t stab you when you’re crying. “, he muttered with a huff and the tension melted. Sapnap stepped closer. “You said- you said you live with Sapnap. “, he stated and the clearing went silent.

“What is he to you?”, the raven asked. “A friend.”, Dream whispered and got up again, stepping towards Sapnap. “My childhood friend. My best friend. “, he added and Sapnap nodded stiffly. “Do you love him?”, he asked and Dream smiled softly.

“Of course, I do. I love all of my friends; they are my family. I would give them the world and my last breath if I could. “ Someone made fake gagging noises. “That's hella cheesy. “ Dream wheezed, only to cough and rub his throat, shaking his head.

“It’s the truth. I would die for them, happily so. They are my entire world. All of you are. Maybe not to your Dream. But to me. Especially you, Sapnap. “, he whispered and took another step into Sapnap's direction before he grabbed the other and tugged him into his chest.

“You are my best friend and you mean the world to me. You always will. Don’t forget that. “

Before Sapnap could utter a response, Dream's legs wobbled and gave out from underneath him. Sapnap made a noise of surprise, kneeling down beside the man. “What’s happening? “, he asked, alarmed as he tried to get a hold of Dream's disappearing form.

“He might be going back to his home. “, Niki suggested softly and the arsonist snarled. “That’s not fair. He can’t just say he loves me and then disappear, it's unfair, it's-“

“Dream!”

Dream blinked slowly, coming face to face with a concerned Sapnap. “Morning-“, he slurred but winced in pain, his head and throat hurt and Sapnap looked more freaked out than he had ever seen him.

Now where he focused on it, this wasn’t the house they shared. He frowned. The walls were white, the bed uncomfortable. It smelled like medicine.

“Where am I, what-“, he mumbled and his friend huffed, rolling his eyes as he took Dream's hand. “You somehow managed to give yourself a concussion and choke yourself during the night. You should be happy that I woke up from you moaning and whining my name, man. You scared the shit out of me, Dream. There was so much blood, your head and throat looked so fucked up. “

Dream hummed sleepily, stroking Sapnap's hand. He wanted to comfort the other, but he felt dizzy and slightly nauseous. “Sorry. “, he muttered instead, feeling like going back to sleep despite just waking up.

Sapnap sighed. “You’re lucky that I love you. “, he announced and the blond hummed once more.

“You are right. I really am. “


End file.
